ABSTRACT
Basic hydrolyses of various ligated α-boryl acetic acid esters provided the first ligated derivatives of the unknown compound boroacetic acid (BH2 CH2 CO2 H). Four monoacids (L-BH2 CH2 CO2 H) and one diacid (L-BH(CH2 CO2 H)2 ) were prepared with N-heterocyclic carbene, amine, and pyridine ligands (L). The stable acids were characterized by X-ray crystallography and acidity constant (pKa ) measurements. They rank among the least acidic of all known carboxylic acids. In turn, their conjugate bases are among the strongest of all carboxylates.
ABSTRACT
Boron-hydrogen bond insertion reactions of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) boranes and diazoesters can be catalyzed by NHC-boryl iodides and produce stable α-NHC-boryl esters. The conditions of the reaction resemble the previous rhodium-catalyzed transformations (only the catalyst is different); however, the mechanisms of the two reactions are probably very different. The new boryl iodide catalyzed method is adept at producing α-substituted-α-NHC-boryl esters, and this has led to a family of NHC-boryl esters with amino acid and amino-acid-like side chains.
ABSTRACT
Relative reactivities of a series of neutral ligated boranes L-BH3 (where L is NHC, amine, pyridine, or phosphine) and the cyanoborohydride anion have been assessed in Rh(II)-catalyzed B-H insertion reactions with methyl 2-phenyl-2-diazoacetate. Stable α-boryl ester products were isolated by flash chromatography in all cases except for the salt product from cyanoborohydride. All of the substrates were either comparable to or more reactive than 1,4-cyclohexadiene, which is one of the most reactive substrates in C-H insertion reactions. The range of reactivity between the most reactive pyridine-borane and the least reactive phosphine-borane is a factor of approximately 40.